Ex-volunteer at Tobyhanna church accused of sex crimes

Thursday

Oct 4, 2012 at 12:01 AM

A Long Pond man who was once a volunteer at the Pocono Community Church is accused of sexually molesting a 16-year-old girl and having inappropriate relationships with two other minors at the church, according to police.

MICHAEL SADOWSKI

A Long Pond man who was once a volunteer at the Pocono Community Church is accused of sexually molesting a 16-year-old girl and having inappropriate relationships with two other minors at the church, according to police.

Criminal complaints against 47-year-old Ramzan Ali say he met and coerced a 16-year-old girl into sex every week for five or six weeks in a handicapped bathroom stall at the Pocono Community Church.

Pocono Mountain Regional Police also said he had inappropriate relationships with two other girls — ages 16 and 12 — though those victims' accounts did not detail any physical, sexual contact.

All three girls attended the church, and two were volunteers there. The incidents, which occurred independently of each other, happened between February and September 2011, according to court papers.

Ali, also known as "Ricki," is charged with sexual abuse of children, three counts of unlawful contact with a minor and two counts of corruption of a minor.

He volunteered at the church as a parking attendant, according to police.

The Tobyhanna church released statements Wednesday in which Ali was referred to as a "former attender" of the church.

"We are deeply concerned for the alleged victims involved in this situation," said one of the statements. "This situation is under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the authorities to ensure that justice is done."

Another statement emphasized that "the individual accused of these acts, is not, nor has he ever been, an employee of this church."

The initial incident happened, police said, when Ali started a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl in the winter of 2011. The incident was reported to police Aug. 28, 2012, by the church's pastor, David Crosby, court papers say.

One of the church elders learned of a possible victim of sexual abuse at the church, and the pastor was aware that police had been investigating "other sex cases" involving Ali, according to court papers.

Police began investigating last November as part of a follow-up to a childline referral, according to court papers.

One of the 16-year-old girls worked as a parking attendant at the church on Route 611 in Coolbaugh Township with Ali. They were at the church late one night together.

"She said one night she was really upset about something, and Ricki was comforting her," court papers state. "She said she confided in him that she had a crush on someone. She said she didn't tell him who. She said Ricki thought she was referring to him but she wasn't."

He asked if she had ever had sex with anyone, and she replied no. And when she answered that she hadn't ever done anything with a penis, "he then said he could help her with that," according to court papers.

The sexual molestations continued for about five or six weeks in a church bathroom, according to the victim.

The victim told police Ali told her not to tell anyone about the sexual incidents.

Court papers say the girl was hospitalized shortly after the time of the incident for mental issues. She "came across as being sincere and truthful," court papers say.

In an incident with another 16-year-old, the victim said that around September 2011, Ali started making inappropriate sexual comments to her, asking if she had ever had sex before, whether she liked older men, texting her to ask for photos and touching and grabbing her in a way that "made her feel uncomfortable," an affidavit states.

When Ramzan was confronted by an assistant pastor about the texts on Oct. 1, 2011, Ramzan admitted to sending texts but said the conversations were "innocent in nature," according to court papers.

And in an April 22, 2011, incident with a 12-year-old victim, the girl said she had misplaced a jacket at the church, and when Ali was helping her look, he started to grab her waist.

She said she pulled away more than once, but Ali "continued to grab at her," according to the police affidavit.

Ricki allegedly asked her if she was tired, and when she said yes, he "then opened a door to an empty room and asked if she wanted to 'sleep' with him in the room, telling her it was dark and no one else was present," according to court papers.

He also said to her, according to court papers: "You're my girl, right?"

Ali is currently free on $75,000 bail, but faces an Oct. 10 preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Justice Anthony Fluegel in Tobyhanna.